Pic, which stars Ethan Ruan and Mark Chao, is about gang warfare in the Wanhua district of Taipei during the 1980s. It grossed NTD200 million ($6.25 million) B.O. in the self-ruled island, but its graphic violence and gangster subject-matter meant it did not get a release on the Mainland.

Pic replaces the original candidate, “Hear Me,” which was spiked as its release date was two months too early to be eligible to compete for the Oscar.

Released in June, the pic has earned nearly $40 million to date. Takako Matsu plays a junior high teacher whose 3-year-old daughter is killed by two of her students. Once she learns their identities, she tells her entire class she will get her revenge — and proceeds to do so.